« Ulcers – Symptoms & Prevention | Home | Treatment of Ulcers »
Puberty and Periods
By peace | March 27, 2006
When girls begin to go through puberty (usually starting between the ages of 8 and 13), their bodies and minds change in many ways. The hormones in their bodies stimulate new physical development, such as growth and breast development. About 2 to 2 1/2 years after a girl’s breasts begin to develop, she usually gets her first menstrual period.
About 6 months or so before getting her first period, a girl might notice an increased amount of clear vaginal discharge. This discharge is common. There’s no need for a girl to worry about discharge unless it has a strong odor or causes itchiness.
The start of periods is known as menarche (pronounced: meh-nar-kee). Menarche doesn’t happen until all the parts of a girl’s reproductive system have matured and are working together.
Baby girls are born with ovaries, fallopian tubes, and a uterus. As a girl matures and enters puberty, the pituiary gland releases hormones that stimulate the ovaries to produce other hormones called estrogen and progesterone. These hormones have many effects on a girl’s body, including physical maturation, growth, and emotions.
About once a month, a tiny egg leaves one of the ovaries – a process called ovulation – and travels down one of the fallopian tubes toward the uterus. In the days before ovulation, the hormone estrogen stimulates the uterus to build up its lining with extra blood and tissue, making the walls of the uterus thick and cushioned. This happens to prepare the uterus for pregnancy: If the egg reaches the uterus and is fertilized by a sperm cell, it attaches to the cushiony wall of the uterus, where it slowly develops into a baby.
If the egg isn’t fertilized, though – which is the case during most of a girl’s monthly cycles – it doesn’t attach to the wall of the uterus. When this happens, the uterus sheds the extra tissue lining. The blood, tissue, and unfertilized egg leave the uterus, going through the vagina on the way out of the body. This is a menstrual period. This cycle happens almost every month for several more decades (except, of course, when a female is pregnant) until a woman reaches menopause and no longer releases eggs from her ovaries.
Picture showing the interactions of hormones and the ovarian cycle
How Often Does a Girl Get Her Period?
Just as some girls begin puberty earlier or later than others, the same applies to periods. Some girls may start menstruating as early as age 9 or 10, but others may not get their first period until later in their teens. The amount of time between a girl’s periods is called her menstrual cycle (the cycle is counted from the start of one period to the start of the next). Some girls will find that their menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, whereas others might have a 24-day cycle, a 30-day cycle, or even a 35-day cycle.
Irregular periods are common in girls who are just beginning to menstruate. It may take the body a while to sort out all the changes going on. Usually, after a number of months, the menstrual cycle will become more regular. Many women continue to have irregular periods into adulthood, though.
As a girl gets older and her periods settle down – or she gets more used to her own unique cycle – she will probably find that she can predict when her period will come.
How Long and How Much?
The amount of time that a girl has her period also can vary. Some girls have periods that last just 2 or 3 days; other girls may have periods that last 7 days or longer. The menstrual flow – meaning how much blood comes out of the vagina – can vary widely from person to person, too. Some girls have such light blood flow that they wonder if they even have their period at all.
Other girls may be concerned that they’re losing too much blood. It can be a shock to see all that blood, but it’s highly unlikely that a girl will lose too much: For most girls an entire period consists of anywhere from a few spoonfuls to less than 1/2 cup (118 milliliters) of blood – it just looks like a lot!
Cramps, PMS, and Pimples
Some girls may notice physical or emotional changes around the time of their periods. Menstrual cramps are pretty common – in fact, more than half of all women who menstruate say they have cramps during the first few days of their periods. Doctors think that cramps are caused by prostaglandin, a chemical that causes the muscles of the uterus to contract.
Depending on the person, menstrual cramps can be dull and achy or sharp and intense, and they can sometimes be felt in the back or the thighs as well as the abdomen. These cramps often become less uncomfortable and sometimes even disappear completely as a girl gets older. In the meantime, many girls and women find that over-the-counter pain medications (like acetaminophen or ibuprofen) can relieve cramps, as can taking a warm bath or applying a warm heating pad to the lower abdomen. Exercising regularly throughout the monthly cycle may help lessen cramps, too. If these things don’t help, ask your doctor for advice.
Some girls and women find that they feel depressed or easily irritated during the few days or week before their periods. Others may get angry more quickly than normal or cry more than usual. Some girls crave certain foods. These types of emotional changes may be the result of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
Topics: All Posts | No Comments »
